Analysis of honey bee exposure to multiple pesticide residues in the hive environment

Since the loss of honeybees in hives could have a greater impact on colony health than those of their foraging bees, it is imperative to know beehives' pesticide exposure via oral ingestion of contaminated in-hive matrices. Here, a 4-year monitoring survey of 64 pesticide residues in pollen, ne...

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Published in:The Science of the total environment 2022-01, Vol.805, p.150292-150292, Article 150292
Main Authors: Xiao, Jinjing, He, Qibao, Liu, Qiongqiong, Wang, Zhiyuan, Yin, Fang, Chai, Yuhao, Yang, Qing, Jiang, Xingchuan, Liao, Min, Yu, Linsheng, Jiang, Wayne, Cao, Haiqun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beehive exposure
Hazard index
Honey bee
Oilseed rape
Pesticide residues
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Summary:Since the loss of honeybees in hives could have a greater impact on colony health than those of their foraging bees, it is imperative to know beehives' pesticide exposure via oral ingestion of contaminated in-hive matrices. Here, a 4-year monitoring survey of 64 pesticide residues in pollen, nectar and related beehive matrices (beebread and honey) from China's main honey producing areas was carried out using a modified version of the QuEChERS multi-residue method. The results showed that 93.6% of pollen, 81.5% of nectar, 96.6% of beebread, and 49.3% of honey containing at least one target pesticide were detected either at or above the method detection limits (MDLs), respectively, with up to 19 pesticides found per sample. Carbendazim was the most frequently detected pesticide (present in >85% of the samples), and pyrethroids were also abundant (median concentration = 134.3–279.0 μg/kg). The transfer of pesticides from the environment into the beehive was shown, but the pesticide transference ratio may be affected by complex factors. Although the overall risk to colony health from pesticides appears to be at an acceptable level, the hazard quotient/hazard index (HQ/HI) value revealed that pyrethroids were clearly the most influential contributor, accounting for up to 45% of HI. Collectively, these empirical findings provide further insights into the extent of contamination caused by agricultural pesticide use on honeybee colonies. [Display omitted] •A 4-year survey of multiple pesticide residues in 1783 apicultural samples was monitored.•The food-processing by worker bees contribute to degrade and metabolize of pesticides in the hive.•Risk of pesticide residues to in-hive bees were performed via a modified HQ/HI approach.•Pyrethroids showed an elevated hazard score, and the risk of metabolites should be focused.
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150292